Quakers on trial for arms witness
'The four Central England Quakers are on trial for chaining across the gates at Telford International Centre which was hosting the Specialist Defence & Security Convention UK (SDSC-UK) arms fair.'
Four Friends are on trial this week for their witness at an arms fair in Telford.
The four Central England Quakers are on trial for chaining across the gates at Telford International Centre which was hosting the Specialist Defence & Security Convention UK (SDSC-UK) arms fair. The Friends are Rajan Naidu and Fran Wilde, both from Selly Oak Meeting; Louise Scrivens, from Solihull Meeting; and Ralph Wallin, from Bournville Meeting. Heather Wilde, from Lincoln, and Ali Gardener, from Calderdale, are also facing charges for the witness.
Local Quakers are upholding the activists, with some supporting them at court on 8 to 10 May.
Jo Hindley, from Cotteridge Meeting, told the Friend that Central England Area Meeting has recorded a minute to support the group ‘practically, spiritually and financially’ as they negotiate the court process. The Quakers are also supporting Friends (and others) who ‘are upholding a testimony of Peace while the Midlands hosts manufacture and trading in arms’, said Jo. This includes at Elbit factories in Shenstone and Leicester, and at SDSC-UK, which is booked again for Telford this autumn. Previously the arms fair was held at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, where it faced extensive protests from the public over several years, including from many Quakers.
‘There are due to be more Friends and others appearing at Stratford Magistrates Court in London 13-14 and 20-22 May, following their arrests at [Defence and Security Equipment International] DSEI at ExCel in September 2023,’ said Jo.
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